Ice-box



J. M. RHODES.

ICE BOX.

1,385,274. Patented July 19, 1921.

4 SHEETS SHEEI I.

J. M. RHODES.

ICE BOX.

APPLICATION HLED ram/3.1920.

Patented July 19, 1921.

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ICE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, I920.

1, 385,274 Patnted July 19, 1921.

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gwvcn foz J/77P/7M3S J. M. RHODES.

, ICE Box.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1920- 1,385,274, Patented July 19,1921.

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ATENT OFFICE.

JosErrI irILEsnHonEs, or HALLS, TENNESSEE.

Ion-Box.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented July 19,1921.

Application filed May 3, 1920. Serial No. 378,500.

To alla /1 0722) it may concern Be it knownthat I, J ()SEPH MILES RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residin at Halls, in the county of Lauderdale and btate of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-l3oxes and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i i a a The present nventlon relates to improvements in ice boxes, and has tor an Ob]GCl3 to provide an apparatus adapted both for.

the storage of bottled goods which it is desirable tokeep immersed in cold water, and

for perishable articles to be preserved by.

the contact therewith of cold air without the use of water. i

Another object of the invention lies in providing an improved ice box in which large quantities of bottled goods of different varieties may be .lcep. in a 1cold condition in readiness for drinking purposes and which admits oithe ready removal of the bottles from the apparatus. v q

A further object ofthe invention re'sidesin providing an improved apparatus including a box or chest having trays and shelves mounted therein in connection witha false or latticed bottom, and guides which are constructed in sectional units adapted to be in stalled in a usual form of box without alteration in the construction thereof. I

A still further-object of the invention resides in providing an improved icebox having means for controllingthe height of the' cooling water therein, and for the draining off of the water when the apparatus is used to contain articles ofa perishable nature to.

be kept by contact with cold air, without the aid of water.

parts in the several views:

Figure 1 1s a perspective vlew of an improved ice box constructed in accordance view taken through the improved ice. box;

ofa

c I with the interior In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which similar reference symbols indicate corresponding 1 Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a to plan view of the ice box with the covers lifted and broken away, and with the trays and shelves removed.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View trays.

Fig/F is a fragmentary perspective vieW portion of a guide unit.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional View through one of the trays; and i Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the partitions for the trays. Referring more particularly to the drawings, lfdesignates an ice box or chest of a usual form having a pair of lids 2 and .3 hinged thereto, as indicated at 4 and 5, and constructed in a usual manner to fit tightly the upper open end of the chest 1, the lids being preferably faced on their inner sides with galvanized metal.

A divisionbar 6 fits within recesses 7 and 8 made in the top of the chest 1, and extends transversely across the central portion of the box, providing an abutment for the adjacentedges of the doors-2 and 3. The bar 6 is readily removable from the recesses 7 and 8 to permitof the withdrawal of the ice container. The bottom and sidewalls of the chest 1 sheet galvanized metal, as shown in the drawings.

of one of the A drain pipe 9 connects with the bottom of the box and also with a pipe 10 running forwardly beneath the box, and having connection to the lower end of an upright pipe 11. Branch pipes 12 and 13 connect with the upper end of the pipe 11, the pipe 12 being in communication at a relatively high level of the box and providing for'the automatic draining oil of water in the box which rises, to the level of the open end of this pipe 12. times in open communication with the interior of the 1m at a desired elevation, and it also communicates uninterruptedly with the pipes 11 and 10 and with the drain pipe 9, so that the effect of this arrangement of pipes is to preserve the water level in the chest 1. substantially constant, and it avoids are also preferably faced with.

The pipe 12 is at all ing against accidental overflow of the box. The other branch pipe 13 connects with the interiorof the box at a substantially lower level than the pipe 12, and includes a valve 14 operated by a hand wheel 15 or other suitable device. The valve 14 is normally kept closed in order to prevent the escape of the water from the box through this low connection, but it may be opened by means of the hand wheel 15 to drain off the water derthat they formcontinuations.of one another and provide an even and uniform bottom. V I y The outer longitudinal rails 16 and 17 are secured to stirrups 20 and 21 which are P ov d byt el r rig t an ularl bent ends of hangers 22 and 23. As indicated in Fig. 7, ,.the stirrups are preferably provided withperforations 24 in which to receive fastening means for securingthe rails thereto.

The upper ends of. thehangers 22 and 23 are secured as by riveting, orother desired means, inrecesses 25 provided in stile bars2fi and 27 which are removably mounted in ,thebox l near the upper open end thereof. Ferforations 28 are. made in the stile bars to receive screws or other fastening ine ans by'which they are removably secured to the chest.

Guide rails-29 and-30 are also provided ingconjunction with the stile bars 26 and 27 and with the bottom units, the same be ing curved at their upperportions as indicated at 31 in Fig. 7. The upper ends of .the guide bars are overturned atright angles, as indicated ,at32, and'are provided with perforations to receive. rivets or other suitable-fastening means. 33by which they aresecured in recesses 34 made in the stile ars Z eml- Y A series of'perforations 35 are provided 1n the guide bars 29 and 30 to receive pins 36 and .37 for supporting shelves 38.

The lower ends of the guide bars 29 and 30 are similarlyoverturned,as indicated at 39 in 7, and provided with perforations 40 to receive fastening means such as the screws 41 by which they are secured to the upper faces ojf-thecross pieces 18 and 19. The

;gllile bars, 29 and. 30 extend inwardly of thehangers 22 and 23nd are spaced apart suitable distances and in pairs, in order to receive therebetween the shelves 38 or trays.

These trays are more particularly shown in Figs. 6 and 8, and comprise end walls 42 and 43 and side walls 44 and 45 having numbers of perforations 46 and 47 therein to allow of a free flow of the cooling water therethrough and in contact with the articles which are held on the bottom 48 of such trays.

The bottoms 48 of the trays are placed at a considerable elevation above the lower edges of the tray walls to permit the trays to rest one upon another in the manner indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, without interference from the necks of the bottled goods supported f therein. These necks extend above the tops of the tray walls in order that they may be readily grasped and removed.

The bottoms 48 of the trays are supported by suitable cross pieces 49 extending between the side walls 44 and 45, and the ends of such bottoms may be soldered to the end walls 42 and 43 or otherwise connected thereto.

The longitudinal edges 50 of the bottoms 48 arepreferably reinforced by turning such edges beneath the bodies of the bottoms, this construction also being of advantage in providing spaces 51 and 52 at the sides of the bottoms to permit a transfer of the cooling liquid downwardly from the interior of the trays, through such spaces. The bottoms and tops of the trays are preferably reinforced, as indicated at 53, by rolling the same. This gives additional strength and also provides relatively large surfaces for supporting one tray upon another.

In the trays may be placed partitions, such for instance as shown in Fig. 9, consisting'of plates 54 of substantially the width of the trays, and being provided at the opposite vertical edges thereof with strips 55 and 56 having outwardly curled upper edges 57 and 58 constructed and positioned for engagement with the upper rolled edges of the side walls 44 and 45 of the trays. The partitionsare slidable along the upper edges of the side walls to the desired position within the trays, and may be quickly removed by lifting the same directly upward. These partitions are especially useful for segregating one kind of bottled goods, for instance ginger ale, from another kind of bottled goods; or if the entire tray is devoted to a single line of goods the partitionsmay be removed. With goods having large sales such, for instance, as bottled coca cola, it will probably not be necessary to use the partitions.

The ends of the bottom units may also be supported by hangers 59 and (30, if desired, which are constructed in the same manner as the hangers 22 and 23, and are secured at their upper ends directly to portions of the ice chest 1.

In the center of the chest is provided an ice container 61 having openings at 62 therein to permit the free flow of the water therefrom into the chest. A cover plate 63 is also preferably provided for the ice con tainer 61, andthe same forms a shelf above the liquid level on which to place perishable articles that would be'injured iii submerged. The ice container 61 will be of a suitable capacity and is preferably made o'l. metal, it being reiulily renuivable by first lifting oil the division bar 6;

The various trays used are also with advantage provided with handles 64. and 65 attached to the end walls 42 and 43, preterably projecting inwardly toward each other at their upper ends. Although these trays may be lifted manually from the ice chest it is preferred to use an implement such as indicated in Fig. 6 in the form of a bail 66 provided. of rod metal bowed upwardly and having upturned hooks 67 and 68 atits oppositeends. The length of the how (56 will be such as to have the hooks 67 and 68 spaced apart a correct distance to engage the upper bars of the handles, and the fact that the handles project toward one another will admit of the hooks being readily inserted therebeneath.

In the use of the apparatus bottled goods, for instance coca cola and the like. are placed upright on the bottoms 4-8 of the trays, the neck portions oi? the bottles projecting above the upper edge oil. the trays, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. to permit the server to r aidily distinguish the various bottles and to grasp and remove the same expeditiously. i

The trays with the bottled goods therein are lowered through the top of the box while the lids 2 and 3 are lifted. and are ongaged by the guide bars 29, so that they assume correct positions, extending transversely across the chest and occupy a minimum of space. The lowermost trays rest upon the bottom units while the trays above rest upon the upper edges of sub-trays, the bottoms of the higher trays being spaced a requisite distance above the caps of the bottles held in the lower trays.

Ice is. of course, kept in the container (31 in a suitable quantity for preserving the water in the chest at a desired low temperature. ater is introduced into the chest in any suitable manner. and it is allowed to rise to the elevation of the pipe 12. This elevation is shown to be such, in Fig. 3, that it will leave the necks and. caps of the bottles in the uppermost trays exposed above the water level, so that the names 011 the caps may be easily read by the server and the necks of the bottles may be grasped without wetting the hands. At the same time the bodies of the bottles will be completely immersed in the cold liquid, and this is entirely sutlicient to keep the contents at a desired low drinking temperature.

Perishable articles of a character susceptible oi injury by water may be placed upon the top 63 of the ice container, and they may also be placed upon the shelves 238 which lie above the liquid. At the same time other of the shelves 88 may be supported beneath the liquid level and may, if desired. contain articles that are not apt to be ruined by contact or immersion in the water such, for instance, as canned goods, butter, etc. Should it be desired to lower the liquid level. the valve 14: may be opened, permitting of the escape of the water through the pipe 13. or in case it is preferred to utilize cold air alone, the drain 9 may be opened, which is, of course, closed by some suitable stopper when the water is used.

The trays may all. be lifted out of the ice chest and the pins 36 and 37, of which there will always be a quantity on hand. may be placed through the perforations 35 in the guide rails 29 and 30 in order to support the shelves 38.

Articles placed upon'the shelves 538 will be kept cold by the contact therewith oi? the air within the box which circulates about the ice, and is kept moving by the action of convection currents.

In case it is desired to remove the apparatus from the ice chest for purposes of cleaning or otherwise, the trays may be quickly lii'tcd out by use of the bails G6, and the shelves 38 together with the pins 36 and 87, are susccptible of very quick removal, atter which the various screws and other iastenings holding the stile bars 26 and the end lningers 59 and 60 may be withdrawn, whereupon the two bottom sections together with the guide rails and hangers are capable oi remo al as two separate units. After the same are thoroughly cleaned and the interior of the box washed out these parts may be subsequently replaced and their fastening in the box renewed.

The partitions 54L shown in Fig. 9 are also useful in segregating cold bottled goods from the warm bottles that have just been placed in the ice box. For instance, it is desirable when, say two rows oi the cold bottles have been removed from any particular tray, to replenish the vacated space by fresh warm bottles. In this case a partition is put in the t"ay to enable the server to distinguish. the cold from the warm bottles so that he will not make the mistake of serving the latter. This situation occurs particularly when only a bottom row of trays are used. The partition is moved along in the tray as more cold. bottles are withdrawn to make room for the substitution of fresh warm bottles.

ii, .1 semen The pipe 13 is a special overflow or drainage pipe to be employed only when a single row of trays is carried in the bottom of the chest as in dull seasons when a smaller quantity of bottled goods is required. The opening of the valve 14 provides for the draining off of the water above the bottom trays. hen a higher water level is desired to immerse further rows of trays the valve 14 is closedand the pipe 12 brought into use.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of-Iny invention, and :therefore I do not wish to be limited to such features except as may be required by the claims. v

I claim:

1. In an ice box, a chest having an-open upper end, closure means for the open end ofthe chest,-seetional bottom units removable from the chest, sectional i guide means respectively connected-to said bottomsections, means for detachably'connecting saiduguide means at-the upperend of .the chest, and supports for articles removably held between said guide means and'independent of the same, substantially as described.

2. In an icebox, a chest, a false bottom removable from the chest, stile bars removably secured in the chest, guide rails connected between said bottom and stile bars and removable from the chest with the same, and supports, for articles placed between said guiderails and removable independentlythereof, substantially as described.

In an ice box, a chest, guide bars therein having perforations, trayspadapted to be placed between said guide bars, pins for extending in ithe perforations, and shelves adapted to rest on the pins, substantially as described. 7

4. In an ice box, a chest having guide means therein,and trays removably mounted between said guide means, said trays composed of perforated body portions, and having bottoms set up from the lower portions of the bodies to permit the trays to rest one upon another and to provide space for the projecting parts of articles held therein, substantially as described.

5. In an ice box, a chest provided with guide means, and trays removably supported between said guide means, said trays comprising body portions having perforations therein to permit the circulation of fluid and reinforced along the upper and lower edges thereof, and bottoms in the trays having the side edges thereof spaced fromthe bodiesof the trays to permit circulation offluid therethrough, substantially as described.

'6. In an ice box, a'chest having guide means therein, remo *able trays placed between the guide means and having handles attheir upper ends projecting toward one another, and a'bail having a bowed central portion with upturned hooks at its ends adapted to engage ,vsaid handles to remove the parts, substantially as described.

'7. In an ice box, a chest having guide means therein, trays removably mounted betweentheguide means, and uprights for the trays including transversely extending platesandend strips-secured to the plates and having curled upper edges to engage theupper portions ofpthe' bodies of the trays, substantially as described.

JOSEPH MILES RHODES. 

